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| The fairytale of York: two panto champs on their Christmas miracle | The fairytale of York: two panto champs on their Christmas miracle |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Berwick Kaler and Martin Barrass, stars of York Theatre Royal’s famous panto for more than 30 years, nearly didn’t make it through 2017. Yet here they are donning wigs and tights | |
| Interviews by | |
| Emine Saner | |
| Mon 4 Dec 2017 06.00 GMT | |
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| Martin Barrass: ‘I was told I had a 1% chance of survival’ | Martin Barrass: ‘I was told I had a 1% chance of survival’ |
| I got a motorbike last year, in the spring. Then, on a bright sunny day in September, a car pulled out of a little side road, and I hit it at about 50mph. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance saved my life. My heart had stopped for about five minutes, both lungs had collapsed and I had 17 broken ribs and a broken leg. Earlier this year, when I went back to thank the hospitals that had treated me – Leeds General Infirmary and Jimmy’s in Leeds – I was told my chance of survival had been about 1%. They said: “We don’t use this word lightly, but it’s a miracle recovery.” | I got a motorbike last year, in the spring. Then, on a bright sunny day in September, a car pulled out of a little side road, and I hit it at about 50mph. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance saved my life. My heart had stopped for about five minutes, both lungs had collapsed and I had 17 broken ribs and a broken leg. Earlier this year, when I went back to thank the hospitals that had treated me – Leeds General Infirmary and Jimmy’s in Leeds – I was told my chance of survival had been about 1%. They said: “We don’t use this word lightly, but it’s a miracle recovery.” |
| I was in hospital for eight weeks, with about five days in an induced coma in intensive care. There was no way I was able to do last year’s panto – I was still walking with a frame, and I only wanted to lie in bed. It was the first York Theatre Royal pantomime I’d missed since I started in 1984. I was out of hospital in time to go to the press night, and I was brought on stage at the end. I was down to about seven stone (44kg), and looked quite gaunt, and I was so choked by the reaction – it was kind of a standing ovation. | I was in hospital for eight weeks, with about five days in an induced coma in intensive care. There was no way I was able to do last year’s panto – I was still walking with a frame, and I only wanted to lie in bed. It was the first York Theatre Royal pantomime I’d missed since I started in 1984. I was out of hospital in time to go to the press night, and I was brought on stage at the end. I was down to about seven stone (44kg), and looked quite gaunt, and I was so choked by the reaction – it was kind of a standing ovation. |
| I was back working in January this year, rehearsing for a Royal Shakespeare Company and Hull Truck Theatre play, The Hypocrite. At first I couldn’t put on my heavy costume by myself – I was playing the lord mayor of Hull. I hoped my stamina would hold out, and I discovered that with each week that went by I was getting stronger and stronger. I do feel like I did before the crash and now I’m chomping at the bit to do this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk – I’m playing Jack’s idiot brother, Stanley Manly. Our mum is Mandy Manly, played by Berwick Kaler. | I was back working in January this year, rehearsing for a Royal Shakespeare Company and Hull Truck Theatre play, The Hypocrite. At first I couldn’t put on my heavy costume by myself – I was playing the lord mayor of Hull. I hoped my stamina would hold out, and I discovered that with each week that went by I was getting stronger and stronger. I do feel like I did before the crash and now I’m chomping at the bit to do this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk – I’m playing Jack’s idiot brother, Stanley Manly. Our mum is Mandy Manly, played by Berwick Kaler. |
| I’m biased, but I think the York Theatre Royal panto is the best. I first saw one of their pantos in 1979 – it was Dick Whittington, and a couple of mates were in it, along with Gary Oldman playing the cat. I love the anarchy of pantomime, and it is uniquely British – I think it mixes the madness of Monty Python with music hall. The art of panto is in its energy. People from all walks of life come to it, all laughing at the same gags. | I’m biased, but I think the York Theatre Royal panto is the best. I first saw one of their pantos in 1979 – it was Dick Whittington, and a couple of mates were in it, along with Gary Oldman playing the cat. I love the anarchy of pantomime, and it is uniquely British – I think it mixes the madness of Monty Python with music hall. The art of panto is in its energy. People from all walks of life come to it, all laughing at the same gags. |
| Berwick Kaler: ‘They bust open my ribs and stopped my heart’ | Berwick Kaler: ‘They bust open my ribs and stopped my heart’ |
| I had a pacemaker fitted last year, but this year I was told I would need a heart bypass. It didn’t happen until late July, and it’s supposed to take six months to recover but I thought: “I don’t need six months to get over it.” But that is why, a week before the actors were due to start rehearsing, there was still no second half – because I hadn’t got it written. I’m 71, and recovering from the operation just made me very tired. | I had a pacemaker fitted last year, but this year I was told I would need a heart bypass. It didn’t happen until late July, and it’s supposed to take six months to recover but I thought: “I don’t need six months to get over it.” But that is why, a week before the actors were due to start rehearsing, there was still no second half – because I hadn’t got it written. I’m 71, and recovering from the operation just made me very tired. |
| We had a birth in the theatre because the mother didn't want to miss her annual pantomime | We had a birth in the theatre because the mother didn't want to miss her annual pantomime |
| I was in hospital for about five or six days. They bust open my ribs and took a vein from my upper leg, and stopped my heart for a while. My operation wasn’t as dramatic as Martin’s after his motorbike accident – and I’m furious about that. | I was in hospital for about five or six days. They bust open my ribs and took a vein from my upper leg, and stopped my heart for a while. My operation wasn’t as dramatic as Martin’s after his motorbike accident – and I’m furious about that. |
| This will be my 39th panto in York as the dame, but it will be my 49th pantomime in total – I used to play the villain in shows all over the country. My first panto in York, in 1978, was terrible – the script was awful and had been around for years, the sets were falling down. I started ad-libbing, which the audience loved. After a few years, I started writing the pantomime – I thought, yes, it will be rubbish, but at least it will be our own rubbish. I never thought I would stay in York all this time, but I became passionate about it when the audience started telling me how much they looked forward to our pantomime. They’ve sort of created it with me. | This will be my 39th panto in York as the dame, but it will be my 49th pantomime in total – I used to play the villain in shows all over the country. My first panto in York, in 1978, was terrible – the script was awful and had been around for years, the sets were falling down. I started ad-libbing, which the audience loved. After a few years, I started writing the pantomime – I thought, yes, it will be rubbish, but at least it will be our own rubbish. I never thought I would stay in York all this time, but I became passionate about it when the audience started telling me how much they looked forward to our pantomime. They’ve sort of created it with me. |
| I’m not going to go on forever but I’m still as passionate about pantomime as I was when I first started. The passion that the audience has for the pantomime is unique, it’s a bond between the audience and the artists on stage. We’ve had a birth in the theatre because the mother didn’t want to miss her annual pantomime – the baby was born in the bar. | I’m not going to go on forever but I’m still as passionate about pantomime as I was when I first started. The passion that the audience has for the pantomime is unique, it’s a bond between the audience and the artists on stage. We’ve had a birth in the theatre because the mother didn’t want to miss her annual pantomime – the baby was born in the bar. |
| You’ve got to work the lines with every fibre of your being. You have to work for your laughs and make it look easy, but just changing costume is one of the most tiring things a dame can do. I think people are booking to see if I can make it to the end of the run. | You’ve got to work the lines with every fibre of your being. You have to work for your laughs and make it look easy, but just changing costume is one of the most tiring things a dame can do. I think people are booking to see if I can make it to the end of the run. |
| Jack and the Beanstalk is at York Theatre Royal, 14 December-3 February. Box office: 01904 623568. | Jack and the Beanstalk is at York Theatre Royal, 14 December-3 February. Box office: 01904 623568. |
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